July 15, 2003
In May, Lee and Joseph Crowley (D-NY) successfully amended the bill in the House International Relations Committee (HIRC) to restore the UNFPA funding that Bush eliminated last year.
After vigorous debate today, Smith’s amendment barely passed in the Republican-controlled House, 216-211.
On the floor, Lee said,
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the Smith Amendment to deny basic, urgently needed health services to poor women living in over 140 countries across the globe.
Mr. Speaker, this dangerous amendment would strip the amendment that Rep. Crowley and I successfully offered during committee to restore UNFPA funding. Our amendment prevailed then with a bipartisan majority because UNFPA saves the lives of women and their children, it prevents abortions, and it provides basic HIV/AIDS prevention services.
Mr. Speaker, an overwhelming majority of this House voted for and the President recently signed into law the major AIDS initiative. UNFPA funding is yet another important source of funding in the fight against the deadly pandemic and should likewise be supported. Every day UNFPA is fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS and is saving the lives of hard-to-reach woman in hard-to-reach places all over the world. We should likewise support UNFPA funding.
Finally, for those who will try to turn this into a debate about abortion: let me clarify once more: not one single penny of UNFPA funds goes towards abortion.”
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Congresswoman Barbara Lee Fights Social Conservatives’ Effort to Defeat United Nations Population Fund Provision in Foreign Relations Authorization Act
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) today challenged Rep. Chris Smith’s (R-NJ) amendment to the FY 04 and FY 05 Foreign Relations Authorization Act, which essentially extended the Bush Administration’s refusal to provide any funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).In May, Lee and Joseph Crowley (D-NY) successfully amended the bill in the House International Relations Committee (HIRC) to restore the UNFPA funding that Bush eliminated last year.
After vigorous debate today, Smith’s amendment barely passed in the Republican-controlled House, 216-211.
On the floor, Lee said,
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the Smith Amendment to deny basic, urgently needed health services to poor women living in over 140 countries across the globe.
Mr. Speaker, this dangerous amendment would strip the amendment that Rep. Crowley and I successfully offered during committee to restore UNFPA funding. Our amendment prevailed then with a bipartisan majority because UNFPA saves the lives of women and their children, it prevents abortions, and it provides basic HIV/AIDS prevention services.
Mr. Speaker, an overwhelming majority of this House voted for and the President recently signed into law the major AIDS initiative. UNFPA funding is yet another important source of funding in the fight against the deadly pandemic and should likewise be supported. Every day UNFPA is fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS and is saving the lives of hard-to-reach woman in hard-to-reach places all over the world. We should likewise support UNFPA funding.
Finally, for those who will try to turn this into a debate about abortion: let me clarify once more: not one single penny of UNFPA funds goes towards abortion.”
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